Adoption support

ZO! adoption support is for problems and questions relating to origin, and attachment disorders.

Adoption as an opportunity

For a child, adoption involves a separation from a former world and an introduction to a new one, thus putting everything into an entirely new perspective. Adoptive parents make a conscious choice to connect and attach themselves to the child and fully commit to this. By birth, children are looking to connect with permanent guardians.

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Adoption as a determinative experience

However, in some cases experiences dating back to the world prior to the adoption may hold a prominent place for too long or on a recurring basis. Often, parents learn this in due course. As an adopted child, you may not find out about it until you reach adulthood, when wounds do not heal properly, if at all. You find out that there is a trauma or attachment disorder that interferes with normal development.

Adoption may cause normal phase issues (such as during adolescence) to be more extreme. Although the harmony between the parents and the child is adequate, the dynamics of adoption make identity, domestic arguments and independence more vehement.

Being adopted puts greater stress on one’s developmental tasks and may have a long-term impact.

Adoptive families

Adoptive families are both ordinary and special. They are ordinary families because they may experience issues identical to other families; and they are special because a deeper layer may be involved in these ‘ordinary issues’. This deeper layer originates from the former world and the mere fact of adoption. The confusing factor in this may be that the issues resemble ‘ordinary’ issues, for which an ‘ordinary’ approach has a temporary effect, or none at all. Focusing on the causes of the issues and finding a solution for them results in a new balance that allows the child or the young person and the rest of the family to move on.

Adoption support for families

Treatment is possible through parent counselling, differentiation & phase therapy, child therapy, Therapeutic Parenting or EMDR. For young people and adults, coaching or therapy, basis therapy and EMDR may also be considered. In some cases, we start by carrying out a psychological examination.